


Sinners: Selfish

by clearmytime, teaseofnight



Category: SHINee, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Police, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3691056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearmytime/pseuds/clearmytime, https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaseofnight/pseuds/teaseofnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee Donghae had only ever left one 'clue' throughout his career as a professional hired killer. It was a clue that Detective Cho Kyuhyun had been following for years under the guise of the force's never-ending attempts to catch him. But what people assumed to be a noble man's unwavering determination was merely an elaborate act to prevent the truth from ever coming out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The possible traces of blood or dirt in his clothes have never been a worry to Donghae whenever he'd come home from another _job_. It was the lingering smell of cigarette smoke all over his body after every two sticks he took that was the problem. That worry had made bringing an extra pair of clothes, breath mints, and alcohol a habit for him during his work time. Though not exactly convenient, for his sake, he endured it.

 

            He surely did not want the ire of a detective.

 

            Donghae set his bag on the couch and locked the door of the apartment securely. Checking every corner of the entrance and the living room, he made sure to set the alarm like every night. Despite believing that no one would really get through the door undetected, it was still better safe than sorry for Donghae, who wasn't really doing it for himself, but for someone else within the household.

 

            Switching off the lights, he headed towards the kitchen and quickly grabbed a can of beer from inside the fridge. He gave the living room one more glance before walking to the last door of the hallway. Shutting the door along the way, Donghae's lips curved up into a small smile when he found Kyuhyun sitting in front of the desk, his fingers typing quickly against the keypad of his computer – no doubt a sign of another report being finished.

 

            Stepping up beside Kyuhyun, Donghae bent down and placed a kiss on his cheek. He managed another smile when the man did not even budge, merely acknowledging him with a soft sound in greeting. Turning away, he sought comfort on the bed as he finally opened his can of beer and began to drink it.

 

            “Is that report about me again?” Donghae teasingly questioned. “I could give you more ideas, you know.”

 

            "I think I'm good," Kyuhyun retorted, never prying his eyes away from the screen. After a few more seconds of furious typing, he finally slowed down, a relieved sigh escaping from him as soon as he was certain that the report was finished. Satisfied, he spun around in his seat to regard his boyfriend, who was blankly staring at him from where he was sitting on the bed. "Every idea you pitch out merely spells trouble."

 

            Donghae smirked, placing his can of beer on the bedside table. "Not _all_ of them," he clarified. "After all, I managed to get you out of a few troubles before."

 

            "Only because I agreed to them."

 

            Laughing, the older man tilted his head in agreement. He patted the spot next to him, smiling wider when the younger relented, moving away from the desk in order to join him.

 

            "At the very least, you won't need to worry about any clues being left behind," Donghae said with a light hum, picking up his tablet and sliding his finger across the screen. "And I made sure to clean myself up."

 

            Snorting softly, Kyuhyun leaned against him, peering down at the screen. "You still stink."

 

            Donghae made a face in reaction. "You'll keep saying that until I shower."

 

            "Exactly, so go shower."

 

            "But I'm clean!" Donghae whined softly, grunting when Kyuhyun pinched his side. "Okay, okay. Just give me a moment while I send my client a report, so that he can wire the money."

           

            Kyuhyun pressed his lips together and nodded. He knew better than to try to persuade Donghae from even attempting to stop his current 'occupation'; it was all on Donghae, and he had no say in it whatsoever. All he could do was support and protect the older man as much as he could (though the support was exercised rather loosely).

           

            Sighing softly, he snuggled against Donghae's side, curiously peeking down at the screen as Donghae began to effortlessly type on the tablet.

 

            Not once did Kyuhyun ever really ask Donghae about the identities of any his clients. There was no warning or request from the older man regarding questions about his work, but he opted not to pry that far. Perhaps it was his personal feelings regarding the matter or his own job – Kyuhyun wasn't really certain. All he knew was that there had never been a need to ask who the people were and why they needed his boyfriend's services.

 

            Donghae's 'jobs' varied from a person's relevancy to power. His list of targets was as notorious as the unsolved murders of a serial killer that shook the whole of South Korea during the nineties; it was that infamous within the force. Many high profile police officers had taken on his case, but no one ever discovered any important clues or leads. That was proof of how clean Donghae did his job, to the point that not even Kyuhyun found any trace in any of the crime scenes he's been in ever since he was given the case the moment he was promoted to detective status.

 

            “You're thinking about it again, aren't you?” Donghae's voice broke through the younger's train of thought. “About the first time you walked in one of the crime scenes.”

 

            It shook Kyuhyun's being to the core when he set foot in the first crime scene he was assigned in as the latest officer to take on Donghae's case. The knowledge that it was his boyfriend's work that he was investigating had disturbed him, ultimately leading for him to call the older man about it whilst he was still in the scene. That had been the day that changed everything for Kyuhyun – both as how he saw himself and how he saw Donghae's job. He had learned to set them apart completely.

 

            “I just have to ask something,” Kyuhyun quietly said whilst the older man continued to type. “Why always the heart?”

 

            “Because it stops everything right away,” Donghae instantly replied. “The person can still, technically, live even without a brain functioning, after all.”

 

            The police dubbed Donghae as 'The Heartbreaker' (which Kyuhyun had only recently found out and felt highly embarrassed about) when they were able to put two and two together after comparing certain victims' cause of death. His style was to hit directly at the heart for the ending, no matter what the weapon of choice was. But even with such an information, he was not considered a serial killer, and Donghae would fight anyone if the idea was ever suggested.

 

            “But anyway, let's not get into that.” Finally done with his message, Donghae set the tablet aside and grabbed his can of beer again. “However, I do have an issue with that name. I, for one, have never broken anyone's heart...figuratively.”

 

            Kyuhyun snorted. "Then stop going for the heart and people will stop calling you that. Do you know how embarrassing it is for _me_ to know you're called that?"

 

            "Which is why you should know better than anyone that being called that is just downright offensive," his boyfriend retorted, peering down at him. "Can't they pick a cooler name instead of one that sounds like it's been taken out of a cheesy love film?"

 

            The detective rolled his eyes as he shifted in the older's arms. "Leave a note for them then with the demand to change the name." Kyuhyun's eyes narrowed slightly when Donghae actually adopted a thoughtful look. He slapped his boyfriend's chest, earning a surprised yelp. "You're not going to do that!"

 

            "Then why suggest it?" Donghae whined, frowning playfully at the younger. "It was a very good idea!"

 

            Kyuhyun groaned. "Please don't actually request for something like that. I'll never hear the end of it!"

 

            "Like I said, you're the one who suggested it first."

 

            Shaking his head upon seeing his boyfriend pout, Kyuhyun sighed heavily. It always amazed him to know that there existed two different sides of Donghae: the killer and his boyfriend. Though he had never really seen the former in any form of the imagination, he deduced that it was most definitely a huge contrast from the Donghae that's with him every single day. There was no doubt in his mind that the killer disappears whenever his boyfriend's there, and Kyuhyun wondered if that was still healthy for a relationship.

 

            Donghae hummed softly when Kyuhyun curled up against him. "You should sleep," he advised. "You clearly have an early morning tomorrow."

 

            "Don't remind me," Kyuhyun mumbled, sounding like it was a pained moan. "I am not going to look forward to that."

 

            “I apologize, but I did leave you a memo about it.”

 

            The younger man snorted again.

 

            “Tell you what, let's have lunch tomorrow,” Donghae suggested, his eagerness showing. “I got the day off, so let's check out this new restaurant near your precinct that's supposed to be really good.”

 

            Donghae had a regular day job that was the complete opposite of his other job. It was a work that required minimum interaction with his colleagues as he once said that building strong ties with the people around him could lead to disasters if ever he got caught. Kyuhyun was the first person in many years that he was actually able to call a real friend.

 

            Rolling on his side of the bed, Kyuhyun let out a deep breath and eventually nodded. “I just hope this isn't as disgusting as the other one. I do want to be able to stomach food.”

 

            “Don't worry,” Donghae chuckled amusedly. “This one was a clean job. I didn't use a shotgun.”

 

            Kyuhyun decided not to say anything in response and simply squirmed under the blanket when his boyfriend stood up and walked inside the bathroom.

\- - -

 

            Crime scenes that involved murder were always the ones that Kyuhyun disliked the most. Apart from the obvious, it was due to having seen some of the most gruesome acts of crimes to victims that had led to him vomiting in nausea. If not for the help and encouragement of his colleagues and his boyfriend, he wasn't sure if he would've pursued his career further.

 

            “Clear as a day, Detective,” Assistant Police Inspector Kim Jonghyun opened in a welcoming statement to his superior. “It's the work of The Heartbreaker.”

 

            Kyuhyun had to close his eyes to keep himself from shrinking in embarrassment upon hearing the term. It was crazy to think that he made it through weeks of hearing his whole precinct call his boyfriend that without giving anything away at least once, apart from the constant grimacing that, hilariously, no one seemed to notice. Donghae even commended him and said that he had a future as an actor someday if the police force ever bore him.

 

            “This is the third for this month alone. He's working overtime,” another member of the inspection team said from behind Kyuhyun.

 

            “Who is this one?” Kyuhyun questioned, already ready to be briefed of the facts.

 

            "It's a man named Kim Hyungsoo," Jonghyun replied as Kyuhyun took the notes from him.

 

            "That Kim Hyungsoo?" the previous member voiced out, seemingly in disbelief. "Goddamn. I thought he had waves and waves of bodyguards protecting him."

 

            "I guess the bodyguards weren't of any help for this unfortunate tragedy," Kyuhyun remarked as he snapped the notebook closed. "Any leads or evidence?"

 

            Jonghyun shook his head, obviously disappointed. "The Heartbreaker is just too good to leave any sort of evidence behind. Our only real connection to him is the whole crime scene being his style."

 

            _As expected_ , Kyuhyun thought. He would've been surprised if Donghae did leave something behind.

 

            "Oh, but we did find this!" Jonghyun quickly, handing his superior a plastic bag that contained what appeared to be a note. "It was found on the ground tucked away between Hyungsoo's suit jacket."

 

            Kyuhyun curiously took the note, opened it, and began to read it. He had to fight hard not to simply shrink in embarrassment upon seeing typed out letters requesting for the police force to give him another nickname. It came to him in that moment that even before he 'suggested' that Donghae leave a note regarding that matter that his boyfriend had already done it beforehand, making him feel like such an idiot for not seeing through his words.

 

            "Wow, he's got guts," another member, Lee Sungmin, commented when he peered over Kyuhyun's shoulder. "Smart, though, to use a computer to write this and not his own handwriting."

           

            Breathing out heavily, Kyuhyun handed the note back to Jonghyun. "Keep this note for evidence. Chief would want to see that. Was anything else found in the crime scene?"

 

            Jonghyun shook his head and pointed at the victim's body. “That note is all we got concerning The Heartbreaker, but we did find a letter from inside his breast pocket that could be evidence as to why he was killed. It explains about his embezzling of his company's funds. Really sketchy work.”

 

            Accepting another clear plastic bag that contained the envelope marked as number five, Kyuhyun and Sungmin both peered down and gazed curiously at it. The envelope's side was torn open, which could have been where the letter was extracted by the victim. There was no postage stamp or even a return address, only the victim's name and company written on the middle. Nothing looked odd about the object itself.

 

            “Then we start with his company to see if he had pissed off anyone during his time alive,” Kyuhyun decided. “Has anyone called the family yet?”

 

            “Officer Shin did. He's also the one who responded from the call made by the person who found the body. We already asked him questions. He's one of the maintenance guys in this apartment complex,” Sungmin answered as he briefed the detective with the notes from his pad. “We already got the approval from the wife of the victim to do an autopsy. Doctor Lee's been informed.”

 

            Even if Kyuhyun didn't really want to, being the one in charge of dealing with the Heartbreaker's case meant that he'd have to talk to everyone involved. It wasn't the process that he disliked; it was hearing all of them paint a picture of the victim that made him sick, knowing that his boyfriend had killed someone that someone out there cared for. There was no sympathy in there. He just didn't want to see the victims through their eyes.

 

            “Inspector Lee, you handle this from here on out. Report to me as soon as you're done talking to the people in his company. Jonghyun, you assist in handling the autopsy requirement.” Taking his cellphone out, Kyuhyun tapped on the screen and few times and nodded to himself. “I have another case to get to.”

 

            “Another Heartbreaker victim?” Sungmin asked aloud, watching his superior walk away.

 

            “Not even close,” Kyuhyun replied loud enough for the other man to hear. “We may have a new serial killer.”

 

            Sungmin and Jonghyun looked at each other in reaction, evidently thinking the same thing.

\- - -

 

            Life went on. 

 

            Even with the news of his latest skill spread around him like wildfire, Donghae merely went on about his day like he normally did, not even sparing a moment for any thought of the man he had recently killed. That was the key to being a hired killer: not giving a damn.

 

             Sitting right in the middle of a famous coffee shop in the heart of Seoul, Donghae hid a smile as he idly listened to the murmurs around him regarding the latest news of a well-known man's murder. With the television on the background playing the news bulletin, his eyes focused on the newspaper on his table, the page turned to an article about recent murdered victims. He hummed softly, eyes narrowing in thought when he noticed something a bit odd about some of the kills.

 

            "That's new," he muttered just as his tablet lit up with a new alert.

 

            It was another job.

 

            Continuing to hum, Donghae transferred the new email to a secure folder mere moments before a man sat across from him. He flashed him with a polite smile in greeting, choosing not to comment on the disguise he had on. "Hello, Siwon-ssi."

 

            "Donghae-ssi," Siwon casually greeted back. "I'm glad you accepted my invitation to meet."

 

            "How can I refuse one of the most powerful men in South Korea?" Donghae playfully replied.

 

            The politician chuckled, placing a folder right in front of him. "You can't," he said flatly. "But here is what I want you to do."

 

            Feigning curiosity, Donghae picked up the folder and looked through it without any interested whatsoever. But he paused for a few seconds when he reached a certain part in the document, causing him to look up at the older man with his right eyebrow raised.

 

            "This is a big one," Donghae said shortly.

 

            Siwon's immediate response was a charming smile. "I have faith in your abilities, Donghae-ssi. Your payment, should you take this job, could last for a lifetime."

 

            The younger man chuckled and closed the file. "Why, thank you for that. I'll be sure to keep in touch regarding this matter."

 

            "I'm looking forward to it." Siwon began to stand. "It'll be nice to have one of the best on my side."

 

            “Let me correct you there before you get any ideas, Siwon-ssi.” Raising his head, Donghae stared right at Siwon's eyes. It was an unrelenting stare that held a stance on its own. “I am _not_ on anyone's side. I have no sworn loyalty to anyone, not even to the client who can pay me a thousand lifetime's worth of money. I do my job as I am told and nothing more. Please don't take this meeting as any indication that I am joining your advocacy to...whatever it is.”

 

            A visible frown appeared on Siwon's face, one that he tried to hide as quickly as he could. His displeasure in Donghae's bold statement was evident, despite his attempt to compose himself after his momentary slip up.

 

            “Very well then. I will expect your call soon.”

 

            With an amused smile on his face, Donghae playfully raise a hand and waved goodbye to the politician. He bit back a laugh when he saw Siwon practically stomp out of the restaurant and into his awaiting car parked right in front of the establishment. The simple act alone made him want to accept the job.

 

            Prying into his clients' personal lives was never a thing for Donghae. Even if curiosity was eating him up inside, not once did he ever dare to do research on the people who contact him for a kill. Whatever information he knew about them were left at that, unless the target's own information supplied an added bonus about them. Donghae believed that there was no reason for him to ever get deeper from the surface of his contract killings. At the end of it all, he was only the hired help.

 

            _“In the latest news, famous businessman Kim Hyungsoo has been found dead in the basement parking of his apartment complex. A single gunshot wound through the heart is believed to be the cause of death...”_

 

            Donghae's eyes trailed over to the television perched on the bar upon hearing the mid-day news show finally begin. He blinked once when the blurred picture of his last target's body was splashed on screen right before a head shot photograph of him was shown. Tilting his head, he watched the report with mild curiosity, raising an eyebrow when the word 'embezzled' popped up.

 

            "Now that's interesting," Donghae mused quietly, his gaze glued on screen. His ears picked up whispers of other patrons in the cafe once again, each of them talking already forming interesting theories of their own about the killer responsible. He almost smiled, but kept his expression clear of any sign of amusement.

 

            Kyuhyun would kill him if he did anything that would put them both in jeopardy.

 

            Looking back down at the file, he smiled to himself. “This is going to be very interesting.”

\- - -

 

            There was something about serial killers that interested a lot of people. Some were there for their fascination with what went through a serial killer's head, while some were just interested to see how all killings were played out. Different reasons didn't really matter; the point remained that some where out there, someone was interested in the story behind a murder. And with the current branding of the Heartbreaker as a well-known contract killer, the interest was burning brightly with each and every news of his latest kill appeared.

 

            No one ever really expected that a hired killer would be highly reported like that.

 

            "Are you coming for lunch, Detective?" Jonghyun asked as he and the others began to get ready to leave.

 

            Kyuhyun shook his head, grabbing his coat from the rack. "No, I've a lunch date."

 

            "Is it with that hot boyfriend of yours?" Sungmin teasingly asked. "You should bring him to the station sometime. It'd be nice to finally meet the guy."

 

            The detective snorted. "I'll pass. He'll just make a mess here."

 

            "That bad?" Jonghyun wondered.

 

            "No. He'll just cause a scene here, and I don't want that kind of memory implanted in my head."

 

            “Come on, sir, he can't be _that_ good looking,” Jinki, one of the members in Kyuhyun's department, voiced out.

 

            Kyuhyun simply shrugged and led the way out of the interview room that they had taken up as their conference room since handling The Heartbreaker case. Palming his cellphone from inside his jacket's pocket, he took it out and tapped on the screen upon seeing the message alert from his boyfriend. He couldn't help the smile that gradually formed on his lips when he read the simple words that Donghae had sent, almost making him miss the looks that his team was sending his way.

 

            “What?”

 

            Both Jonghyun and Jinki shook their heads quickly, though playful smiles were still evident in their lips.

 

            “Just say it...” Kyuhyun sighed out, slipping the device back in his pocket. “You two look like gossips.”

 

            “It can't be helped. They're very curious about your love life,” Sungmin stated, patting Kyuhyun's shoulder gently. “First time they heard that Detective Cho is dating someone.”

 

            “Yeah, sir, but it's not like we think it's as a bad thing. We just never expected you to be seeing someone, especially since you've been working on The Heartbreaker case for almost a year now,” Jonghyun explained while Jinki nodded in agreement beside him. “How did you ever find the time to date?”

 

            “You've been so into your work since you started here years ago. Jjong and I were just a year after you. But now, you're a detective handling high-profile cases. It's kind of amazing that you were able to balance your personal life along with that,” Jinki added in almost shyly. “We always found you to be a bit of a workaholic.”

 

            While Kyuhyun answered the two with a stare, Sungmin laughed beside him, catching the attention of the other police officers around the entrance of the station. “Be very surprised because his relationship has lasted for years. I don't even know the guy, but his picture alone speaks volumes, so even I was surprised myself when I found out they're dating.”

 

            “Yah...what's that supposed to mean?” Kyuhyun questioned, eying the older man closely.

 

            “I'm saying your hot boyfriend could do better,” Sungmin bluntly replied. “But since you're a hotshot detective, I'd say that you've at least leveled up.”

           

            "How rude of you, Inspector Lee."

 

            Startled by the new voice, everyone began to look around them before they saw the handsome man cheerfully waving at them from the entrance.

 

            Jinki stared at the man curiously. "Who is that?"

 

            "My boyfriend," Kyuhyun replied almost shamefully while Donghae grinned brightly at him.

 

            Jonghyun whistled in reaction. "Wow, Inspector Lee was not kidding."

 

            Jinki nodded, his wide eyes still staring at Donghae as if he was some sort of alien. "Is he a model?"

 

            " _Just_ a delivery man."

 

            Sungmin rolled his eyes before beaming at Donghae. "Ah, it's finally nice to meet the famous boyfriend of Detective Cho. But, curiously, how do you know my name?"

 

            "Kyuhyunnie talks about you sometimes," Donghae answered so cheerfully that Kyuhyun almost wanted to strangle him. "Anyway, can I steal my boyfriend now? We do have a lunch date, after all."

 

            "I told you not to come here," Kyuhyun hissed out as he walked over to Donghae, almost blushing when his boyfriend greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, earning teasing squeals and whistles from the officers looking on. "Yah!"

 

            Donghae gave him a pout. "I wanted to surprise my lovely boyfriend by picking him up from work," he whined jokingly. "I can't do that?"

 

            "I'd rather you didn't," the younger mumbled. "Let's go then. I'm starving."

 

            "Aye, aye, captain."

 

            Grabbing his boyfriend by the arm, Kyuhyun dragged the older man out of the precinct and down the steps faster than the last shoot out he was involved in that required excellent dodging skills. He held his breath in until they were far enough from the station. Finally sighing out, he turned to the older man beside him and hit his arm with a strong punch.

 

            “What?” Donghae flashed him a bright smile. “It's our lunch date. I can't pick you up? What kind of boyfriend would I be if I can't even do that simple task?”

 

            “Someone who listens to requests well,” Kyuhyun retorted. “You like living a little dangerously, don't you?”

 

            Donghae shook his head, his goofy smile still plastered on his face. “If you doubt my competence in doing a clean job, then you don't know me at all. Besides, going in your workplace is nothing. It merely sets the record straight that you do have a boyfriend. No one is suspecting anything, Kyuhyun. Relax.”

 

            “That was still stupid! Especially when were just deliberating about the Kim Hyungsoo case in there!”

 

            “And that's your job, while I'm just a mere delivery man.” Taking the younger's hand, Donghae gently kissed the back of it, successfully silencing the outbursts. He leaned over and pressed another kiss on his boyfriend's cheek, chuckling when Kyuhyun's face turned a bright shade of red. “What I do is separate from what you do. You know me as both, but that doesn't mean I'm going to jeopardize anything in your life. I would never do that to you.”

 

            Kyuhyun gazed sadly at his boyfriend's eyes, the guilt slowly crawling in him. There had never been any lack of trust between them, even years back when they were merely acquaintances; and there still wasn't any issue regarding that in the present. The only worry that he felt was of anyone who might actually catch something in Donghae that could lead back to the case somehow, despite him knowing that his boyfriend worked hard not to leave any trace – not once did he ever.

 

            It was just his position in between the two worlds that made him nervous.

 

            “I'm sorry...I overreacted. I'm just worried, that's all. The case is still hot, so everyone's eyes are peeled right now for any clue,” Kyuhyun mumbled almost incoherently. “But enough about that. Did you go out this morning? You smell like a coffee house.”

           

            Chuckling, Donghae wrapped his arm around Kyuhyun's waist and gently led him over to where his car (an old beauty he bought years before that already looked worn out, which was good enough for his role as a delivery man) was parked. "Yeah, I just wanted to get some coffee. It's been a while."

 

            "You shouldn't live off of that stuff," Kyuhyun argued lightly. "Caffeine is bad for you."

 

            "Says the person who would drink wine every day if he could."

 

            The detective pouted at the older, earning a laugh. "Wine is very good. I don't know why you don't like it," the younger huffed out as soon as they were inside the car.

 

            Donghae smirked. "It just isn't my favorite thing to drink. Give me soju or just a simple can of beer, and that'll be enough for me."

 

            "And coffee?"

 

            "Coffee is a gift from the gods, Kyuhyunnie. There's no other drink that can possibly compare."

 

            Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and buckled himself in just as Donghae started the car. He gazed around curiously, almost as if trying to detect anything out of the ordinary. However, it was clean - no trace of Donghae's real job in sight. His eyes soon shifted back to his boyfriend when the car began to move.

 

            "What is it?" Donghae wondered, reaching over to lace their fingers together.

 

            "Did you watch the news this morning?"

 

            The older man made a sound. "How could I not? Like you said, the case is still hot. It's not going to die down so easily."

 

            "That's what happens when the victim is a famous businessman." Kyuhyun blinked in surprise when Donghae's face suddenly darkened. "Hae?"

 

            "Have you read that other news, though?" Donghae questioned, voice changing slightly. "There's another killer on the loose."

 

            “Oh.” Letting out a deep breath, Kyuhyun looked ahead to the road. “I know about that. The case is mine.”

 

            A sudden silence from Donghae's end cut the conversation abruptly, which was enough for Kyuhyun to know that there was something more to what his boyfriend had said. The older man knew a few people who dealt with the same weapons supplier he has. Though not acquainted with any of them, nor had he ever really talked to anyone under the police radar (as far as he knew), Donghae was capable of getting limited information of certain things through the grapevine. It was a 'privilege' that he had shared with Kyuhyun a few times, but something that the detective never depended on as a respect to his boyfriend and for fear of getting caught.

 

            It was during the next stoplight when Donghae finally turned to the younger. “Is there any way that you can drop the case?”

 

            Looking at his boyfriend, Kyuhyun shook his head slowly. “You know I can't just drop a case like that. I'm not a rookie anymore. People expect more from me now than ever.”

 

            “I figured you'd say that...” Donghae mumbled, turning back to the wheel. “Damn. I hope this case gets solved before it gets sloppy. I don't like this guy.”

 

            “Why? Do you know enough about him to dislike him?”

 

            “Let's just say my supplier talks a lot more than he listens to whatever shit I ask of him.” Donghae grimaced before holding the steering wheel quickly when he saw the light turn green. “But I trust your skills, so I'm not too worried. You've dealt with bigger crimes than this.”

 

            When he noticed the change in his boyfriend's face, Kyuhyun already knew that the conversation was no longer a big deal. Even if the criminal wanted was a big name, what the older man requested was normal for a boyfriend to do. Donghae tended to get worried about him for obvious reasons, but he respected his job as a member of the police force and distanced himself as much as he could.

 

            “What I'm curious about, though, is what name you called this guy,” Donghae said with a wide grin on his face. “Am I allowed to know about this?”

 

            Kyuhyun snorted. "Sorry, but that's classified information...for now. I'm sure you'd hear something from the nosy media soon anyway."

 

            "Well, whenever you feel generous, I'd love to hear it from you first before the so-called nosy media," Donghae said. "I'd like to exercise my perks as the boyfriend of one of Seoul's elite detectives."

 

            The younger man rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. He looked up when the car pulled into a stop, seeing that they were in front of a small restaurant already crowded with people. "Tacos? In Seoul?"

 

            Laughing, Donghae nodded and turned off the engine. "Yeah, I thought it'd be good to try something new. It's not everyday we can eat tacos, you know."

 

            "It better be good."

 

            "I've read reviews online; it's supposed to be really good," his boyfriend hurriedly explained. "Shall we?"

 

            Sighing, Kyuhyun nodded and followed his boyfriend out of the car. As soon as the vehicle was locked, Donghae reached over and grabbed his hand, causing him to blush. He managed to form a small smile on his lips before he lowered his head when they began to walk inside the restaurant.

\- - -

 

            Slamming the folders on top of his table, Kyuhyun gently tugged the collar of his shirt and slumped against his chair. It was always so taxing to him to deal with the Chief, which had only increased in stress after he took on The Heartbreaker case. Their conversations had gotten so repetitive that he swore that he could actually write the script word-per-word. If only he had the time and patience to do so, there was no doubt in his mind that it would make a nice present for Donghae.

 

            _“I hate to repeat myself, Detective Cho, but this is high-profile case, after all. You know that cases about contract killers are very rarely formed because of their hidden identities. For our department to have at least formed an idea by connecting certain crimes, that speaks a lot.”_

_Kyuhyun nodded. “Yes, sir. I understand that very well, sir.”_

_“Then you should understand why I'm nagging you about this all the time. We have an idea, how come we haven't had any suspects in mind? It's been nearly a year!”_

_“That is correct, sir, but you must also remember that the...suspect just doesn't leave any clues behind,” Kyuhyun reasoned out. “It's impossible to actually for–”_

_“Then search for them thoroughly! No one is that good of a killer!”_

_“Sir, he's been active for years, longer than I have been in the force. He's an expert in this,” the detective stated firmly, trying not to sound as if he was lecturing his superior. “And the fact that we had released this 'nickname' that we have for him alerted him that we're on to him somehow, so he's, of course, more careful now than before.”_

_“And that is why you're a detective. This is where you do your job,” the Chief said, his strong gaze fiercely directed on the younger man. “He's just a man; he makes mistakes. After that note that he so foolishly left as a mockery to us, you should take that as an opportunity to lure him in. Keep the contact open and find his weakness, then you trap him.”_

 

            “Easier said than done...”

 

            Kyuhyun let out a deep whine, whirling his chair around as he pulled out his cellphone. Tapping on the screen a few times, he pressed the device against his ear and waited for ringing to stop. He knew it was unlike him to make a call like that in the middle of his job, but the frustration that had built up inside of him needed to be let out, and he only knew one person who would really listen to him.

 

            _“To what do I owe his honor to hear your fine voice, Detective Cho?”_

 

A deep sigh came out from the younger man's lips. “What is your weakness?”

 

            _"Now you know that I can't disclose that, my dear detective."_

 

            Kyuhyun finally allowed himself to smile. "And why not? Here I thought we were close."

 

            He heard a hearty laugh from the other end of the line, making his smile widen slightly.

 

            _"Not close enough, I'm afraid. Now, what's bothering you? You're usually not the type to call in the middle of work."_

 

            "You know me so well." Kyuhyun made himself comfortable by leaning back against his chair. "I'm just feeling a tad frustrated."

 

            _"Was it your mean old boss again?"_

 

            Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow when he heard the sound of cracking. "Yes, it was. What are you doing?"

 

_"Cooking. I imagine you're going to have a late night again."_

 

            "You _really_ do know me so well."

 

            The older man laughed again, and Kyuhyun felt himself slowly begin to relax. It had always been like that when it came to his boyfriend; Donghae was always able to make him happy. Right from the very start, there was nothing else that stood out the most to Kyuhyun about his boyfriend than the fact that he made him happy beyond explanation even with just a simple act of thoughtfulness.

 

            "So, you never did tell me what your weakness is."

 

_"That's something you'll need to find out for yourself, detective. But if you need something else, I am more than happy to help you."_

            "How kind of you, dear sir."

 

            Donghae chuckled. _"I'll drop off the food for you before I go to work. Does that sound good?"_

 

            "Absolutely. Just call me so I can meet you at the entrance."

 

            _"Of course."_   A brief pause. _"I'll leave you to it, Hyunnie. Good luck with the Chief!"_

 

            Kyuhyun breathed out, sensing the brief change in his boyfriend's tone. It was enough for him to know that the older was going to be out for his 'job' late as well.

 

            Spinning his chair around to face his table, Kyuhyun set his cellphone aside and stared at the pile of documents spread out on his desk. He always hated how messy he got whenever cases kept piling up to his already long list, adding to his frustration of being pressured regarding The Heartbreaker case. If he could just tell the Chief that there was no way in heaven or hell will he be able to catch the killer for personal reasons, he would've done it sooner without any doubt. But not only was it completely not his personality, it would also defeat his purpose of reaching for his position as a detective.

 

            Donghae. Donghae was the reason.

 

            And no one else could ever know that.

 

            “Detective! Detective!”

 

            The door of Kyuhyun's office opened wide, slamming against the wall due to force exerted upon it. What greeted him was the sight of a panting Jonghyun, with his expression that of discomfort.

 

            “Detective Cho, I'm sorry for barging in like this, but there's an emergency!” Jonghyun spluttered out, his words nearly sounding incoherent. “Congressman Choi just received a death threat! And the Chief wants us there right away!”

 

            A look of uncertainty and confusion filled Kyuhyun's face even as he stood up to grab his coat from the rack behind. “Why us? Stakeouts are not our job.”

 

            Jonghyun nodded sloppily. “Yes, b-but this one is under our jurisdiction.”

 

            Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

 

            “The letter was signed by the Slasher.”

\- - -


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

Donghae turned away from the body as he it began to spasm. It was only a matter of time before the whole thing would finish, and he didn't want to see it happen upclose. Walking further back, he carefully took off his face mask and breathed in the clean air. Hearing the spasm dying down, his eyes darted back to the immobile body on the floor, focusing on it for a number of seconds to be sure that it would no longer move.

It wasn't often that he'd opt to use poison, but the situation called for a different approach; if only because he knew that any weapon he used for the target would not suffice. With a high-end bulletproof vest securely hidden underneath his thick clothing, it was too risky to try using any weapon with a bullet. And the use of something of a higher caliber was not an option as of the moment due to his promise to Kyuhyun regarding leaving gruesome bodies.

He exited out of the scene with ease after getting rid of every evidence, including the small case that had expelled the poisonous gas. After cleaning himself up, he was prepared to call Siwon regarding the successful work, but paused when he heard sirens in the distance. Quickly blending himself into the shadows, Donghae curiously watched from an even distance as police cars streaked by, heading toards a certain direction. 

The cars stopped a short distance from where he was hiding. Interest piqued, he stepped out of the shows and headed to where the cars where. There, Donghae found a small crowd already gathered around the cars, crowding in front of a villa that he heard (from the murmurs amongst the people) belonged to none other than Choi Siwon, his latest client. He stood in the middle of the chattering people around him, his ears picking up the words 'death note'. But his attention was quickly diverted when he caught sight of his boyfriend with the rest of the police officers. All too quickly, the link that pieced together the current situation formed in his mind.

“Hey, you! Come here! We need to secure the perimeter!”

Though it was not that noticeable, the particular police officer seemed to have been startled by the sudden call. It was enough to catch Donghae's attention, causing him to subtly move about the crowd to get closer to the police squad. He stopped beside a woman, eying his boyfriend closely from where he stood. From the corner of his eye, he could still catch a glimpse of the questionable police officer who had stood guard beside one of the cars.

“Detective,” one of the officers greeted with a salute. “We've secured the whole residence. No one's getting in and out of there undetected.”

With his hand over his lips, Kyuhyun stared in front of him at the large structure of Congressman Choi's villa. He tapped his foot on the concrete a few times before turning away, beginning to pace back and forth from within the proximity of the parked vehicles of his squad. A thoughtful look masked his face, harsh enough for his features to appear sharply.

Donghae could easily tell that Kyuhyun was worried.

“Detective?” Sungmin called out, following the younger man's movements with his eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“No–I mean yes! I mean...I'm not sure. But something is definitely odd about this.” Kyuhyun halted his steps and looked at his team. “There's a distinct common denominator about the victims of the Slasher that we missed, that of which does not apply in this situation.”

“What are you talking about, sir?” Jonghyun questioned. “What common denominator?”

Kyuhyun shook his head slowly. “The Slasher's targets were never politicians.”

Jonghyun frowned, eying the villa before looking back at the detective. "What do you mean?"

"The Heartbreaker targets politicians and socialites – the famous crowd," Jinki chimed in as he slid into the conversation. "The Slasher tends target other victims."

"Is there a pattern among his victims?" Sungmin questioned, glancing over at Kyuhyun, who seemed to be chewing his thumbnail in thought. Sighing, he reached over to lightly slap his hand away, earning sound of protest from the detective.

Huffing, the detective tapped his foot against thr ground once again, his mind racing to form any sort of link as he visualized the board in his office that had every evidence regarding the case of the Slasher. He traced invisible lines at each phototgraph her could remember, going over them as much as his memory could remember the details. 

“Seoul, Seoul, Seoul...”

And then it clicked.

"Policemen," Kyuhyun breathed out. "He's been targeting policemen."

At his words, everyone in his unit froze, fear etching onto some of their faces.

"P-Policemen?" one of the officers stammered out.

"Don't be frightened," Kyuhyun said. "If we show that we're frightened of the Slasher, he'll take pride in our fear and will use it against us. Merely strengthen our defenses and be on the lookout for anyone or anything suspicious."

The whole unit gave a salute in understanding.

Despite what he had witnessed and his confidence in his boyfriend's leadership, Donghae still couldn't shake off the feeling that something still wasn't right in the situation. With the Slasher leaving an obvious clue right under their noses, it could only mean that he was not taunting them; he was indeed there to make a kill. The question was who his next victim would be, but it was most definitely not Siwon.

From what Donghae had learned from his field of work and that of Kyuhyun's, serial killers tended to stick to their own pattern. It could either be a trait or facial feature or anything that struck out to them. They were what the killers looked out for when picking their victims. And it was no different with the Slasher, whose pattern seemed to be connected to the police force.

“But you know something else...” Donghae whispered in a very faint tone, his gaze settled on his boyfriend. “What did you figure out?”

“Jinki-ah,” Kyuhyun called out. “Get these people away from here. We don't need an audience. This isn't a show. They're just going to get hurt if they stick around here.”

“Yes, sir!” Jinki nodded eagerly and rushed towards the crowd with two more of the police officers by his side. 

Donghae bit his lower lip, still staring at his boyfriend. The way Kyuhyun's forehead creased indicated that he was already forming a complete thought regarding a subject at hand. It could be anything, but he was sure that it had something to do with the Slasher's pattern. And Donghae felt a bit desperate to know just what it was that the younger man had realized.

“Detective?” Sungmin's lips curved down into a frown. “You look disturbed. What is it?”

Kyuhyun's eyes darted towards his subordinate, his facial feature stiff. “Inspector Lee.”

“What is it, Detective?” Sungmin pressed, quickly realizing that the detective had something in mind. 

“The first victim...was an auxiliary police, followed by a policeman, then the next was his senior...after that was an assistant inspector like Jonghyun...” Kyuhyun listed off, his tone a bit shaky. “The last victim was...an inspector like yourself. Do you see where I'm going here?”

“Sir...”

“His pattern follows the hierarchy of the Seoul's police force, starting from bottom to top,” the detective stated. “And if the last one was an inspector, then the next one would be...”

Sungmin's eyes widened upon realization. “Detective.”

"So he's here for me," Kyuhyun muttered. "Damn it!"

Kyuhyun's head shot up, a realization suddenly hitting him. He looked around at his unit, eyes searching for every face. While it was wrong of him to suspect his own men, it couldn't be helped. There were too many corrupt cops in the world nowadays — it wouldn't be surprising if one of them turned to the dark side. 

Or if one of them wasn't really part of the team at all.

"Detective?"

The detective's eyes continued to search his men, answering the call with silence.

"Kyuhyun."

Eyes shooting towards Sungmin, Kyuhyun gave a short nod. "Round up the officers. Now."

With a deep frown plastered on his lips, the detective watched his men gather around in an orderly fashion before he finally took notice of Donghae in the crowd. His eyes widened just a fraction before seeing Donghae give him a short nod of assurance. It was enough for him to know that his boyfriend was allowing him to work without getting involved. 

"Detective!"

Turning back to his men, Kyuhyun saw the orderly line-up of their officers right in front of Sungmin. With each of them in complete and similar gear with each other, it would be hard to deny to a civilian that they were not part of the current team. That was the problem that needed to be removed from the equation.

“We have fifteen men stationed around here. Jonghyun's already inside checking the men there himself,” Sungmin reported, a hint of uneasiness laced in his voice. “Detective, are you sure this is a good idea to do this in front of the civilians?”

“He won't hurt them. He's only here for me and no one else. I'm very sure of that,” Kyuhyun whispered his reply, his gaze settled on the line of police officers in front of him. “Wait. Who are these men? I've never seen any of them any before.”

“Detective,” Jinki softly called from behind the two senior officers. “They're from the private force called by Congressman Choi. They're rookies, as far as I know.”

“What?” Kyuhyun looked absolutely furious. “Then why are they out here? They should be inside guarding him, not out here with us! What in the fre–Call Jonghyun right now! This ridiculous–Damn that congressman!”

It was the next few moments that would forever be embedded in Kyuhyun's mind like always.

With the many instances wherein he'd been hurt during his job, nothing really affected him mentally anymore. Even when the Slasher himself had him locked by the neck with a blade pointed right in his face, it felt no different to the first time he had been in a somewhat similar situation. There was no fear or worry for himself, only the desire for everyone to shut up so he could think.

And for Donghae to leave.

“Drop the knife!” Sungmin shouted, his gun pointed right at the suspect. “Drop the knife or I will shoot!”

The Slasher simply laughed, almost sounding like a cackle, before moving the blade right against Kyuhyun's neck. He snickered lowly and pressed the sharp end ever so gently against his skin. It was in that precise moment when a gunshot was heard, rendering him motionless for a moment due to being startled, which was enough of a time for Kyuhyun's quick thinking to work. Forced back when he was elbowed, the Slasher screamed and charged towards the detective.

In just one quick move, traces of blood began to stain Kyuhyun's shirt, with the large wound on the side of his stomach becoming more evident.

"Detective!"

Kyuhyun pressed a hand over the wound on his side, trying to stop the bleeding whilst his men surrounded the Slasher with guns at the ready. He shook his head when Sungmin tried to help him, merely telling him to arrest the Slasher. Managing to throw a quick glance to the side, he slowly felt his consciousness drifting away, with thoughts of his boyfriend being the last clear thing in his mind.  
\- - -

A loud gunshot and the shattering of glass, followed by screams of horror and loud exclamations.

Through the commotion in his surroundings, Donghae managed to stealthily make an exit as soon as the door of Siwon's office opened. It was a risky move but one that he was not new to. As shameful as it may be, it was not the first time he was considered a double-crosser. But as a hired killer, morals were already out of the window before he could even get a hold of the next client's hit.

Donghae dared not to glance back at the villa as he lit the cigarette he had been accustomed to having after every kill. At first, it was a way to calm his nerves that were bothering him the first few times he did his job, but after awhile, the act became like a dirty habit that he could no longer shake off. The only change in it throughout the years was how he was able to keep it to two sticks for the sake of his boyfriend.

The loud sound of sirens blaring through the night had already reached Donghae's ears when he was already far enough from the building to not be suspected. Pulling down his cap, he took out his cellphone when it rang and raised a questioning eyebrow at the unknown number on screen. He slowly blew out the cigarette smoke, letting it fade away in the night air before answering the call.

“Lee Donghae-ssi? Is this Lee Donghae-ssi?”

Making a face, Donghae took a moment to think of what to say. “Who is this?”

“This is Assistant Inspector Lee Jinki! From Seoul Metropolitan Police, under Detective Cho's department.”

Donghae pressed his lips together upon hearing Kyuhyun's last name mentioned. “Yes, this is Lee Donghae. Is there something you need from me?”

“I'm sorry for calling you unexpectedly, Donghae-ssi, but we don't know anyone else closely related to Detective Cho. I got your number from his cellphone. We're in the hospital right now.”

“Why?”

“Uhm...there was a stake out and something happened. Detective Cho got attacked, but he already got stitches, and he seems okay. But he's refusing to stay overnight even after the doctor already advised him to!”

Snickering, Donghae flicked the ashes against the wall of the building he was hiding by. "Let me talk to him."

There was a brief sound of chattering before he heard Kyuhyun's grumpy voice. 

"I am not staying in the hospital."

Donghae chuckled. "Now, now, we both know that it'd be wise for you to follow the doctor's advice this time around."

"It's not like it'll actually hurt. I really, really don't want to stay here."

The older man smiled in amusement as he inhaled the smoke. Breathing out, he watched the ring of grey disappear. 

"Baby, you need to just stay still and let yourself rest," he said softly. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll stay with you."

Kyuhyun grumbled, but finally relented, making Donghae smile brightly. 

"You better bring me food then. I absolutely refuse to eat hospital food."

Laughing, Donghae agreed and soon ended the call, finally throwing the cigarette aside. As he stepped on it, he looked down at his cell phone when a text message rang in. He smiled upon seeing just the name and pressed a button to delete it.   
\- - -

Kyuhyun ignored the wide smiles on his team's faces as he handed Jinki back his phone, scowling at them. "Stop looking at me like that."

"What? I just think it's cute that you actually listen to your boyfriend," Sungmin teased, earning a glare. "Is he coming?"

The younger man made a face. “Yes, he'll be staying with me, so you three can go away now.”

“Ouch! That's very harsh, hyung,” Jonghyun remarked from where he was casually sitting on a chair across the hospital bed. “And here we were planning on looking after you.”

It was only during after regular work hours when the four of them could really talk like they're all friends. Even with the hierarchy in work at play, when they would separate from it, Sungmin was the oldest and Jonghyun was the youngest of their brotherhood of sorts. With their many years together in the station, despite entering the force at different years, they've all found genuine friendship with each other, which only strengthened when they were all assigned to the same department and team. 

There were times wherein Kyuhyun felt so guilty whenever they hung out together. The itching desire to reveal his boyfriend's secret to them had never really crept up farther than a moment's passing, but it was still something that bothered him from time to time. Having to keep such a dark secret wasn't that difficult; it was keeping it from the friends who treated him as family that was the hardest part of it all.

But at the core of it all, Donghae was more important.

“What you three should be doing is working on that report to be submitted to the Chief,” Kyuhyun retorted. “That reminds me, what are you three doing here? Someone has to be there at the station to process the whole case!”

“You worry too much. It's already late, so we can't file the report anymore. But don't worry about it. Jinki's already working on the details. You'll receive the email tomorrow morning, so you can look it over,” Sungmin said with a cheeky smile plastered on his lips. “We're also–Hold on.”

Kyuhyun held back the urge to click his tongue impatiently when the older man cut off his words. Turning to Jinki, who was adjusting his blanket, he gave him a look, which was returned with a bright smile. He groaned in reaction and was about to say something when Sungmin called out to him.

“I just got a report from Officer Kim.” Sungmin's tone was significantly low. “Congressman Choi was murdered.”

Immediately, the younger two stiffened while Kyuhyun frowned, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Who killed him?" Kyuhyun questioned, already having an idea of what the answer would be. He honestly hoped it wasn't Donghae as his boyfriend was supposed to be doing another job. But on the other hand, he wouldn't be surprised. 

The way Donghae worked, money was the only language. 

Sungmin frowned deeply. "The Heartbreaker."

"Damn it," Jonghyun cursed. "We should've been on the lookout for him."

"How exactly did he die?" Kyuhyun inquired as he stared at Sungmin. 

The oldest breathed out, running his fingers through his hair. "Gunshot through the heart. Civilians saw him flying out of his window. Right now, his body is being investigated."

Kyuhyun bit his lip. "We need to do a thorough search of the scene, then. How is it possible that he was able to—"

"Perhaps he snuck in through all the ruckus with the Slasher," Jonghyun suggested. "It's not a far-fetched idea."

"But one I don't really appreciate," Sungmin mumbled. 

Kyuhyun clicked his tongue, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"But we'll be going to the scene tomorrow," Sungmin said, catching Kyuhyun's attention. He smiled at him. "You just stay here and rest."

"But—"

"We can't have you injured again or else your boyfriend would be upset that you keep going back to the hospital."

The detective snorted loudly. “You assume that he decides my life for me, do you? Don't insult me like that, hyung. I listen to him when he worries about my well-being, but I still control my life.”

Sungmin clicked his tongue while shaking his head. “Your injury is still fresh. Do you know how many stitches you got? That cut's deep. I'm surprised your intestine didn't come out. You may be able to walk around, but any wrong move could open up those stitches. So it's best for you and for this case if you do take a rest.”

Both Jinki and Jonghyun could only nod in support of Sungmin's words, knowing that getting in-between the argument of their two seniors was never a good idea.

“Fine. But you have to report everything to me. I am still in charge of this case,” Kyuhyun muttered after a short moment of silence. “That reminds me, you and Jonghyun should go and check out the crime scene now. This is our case, so someone has to be there.”

Jonghyun quickly stood up from his chair and gave a mock salute. “I was thinking about that. We really should check it. Though I really hate dealing with two big cases back-to-back.”

“Nothing we can do about it.” Shrugging, Sungmin pushed himself off the wall and nodded towards Kyuhyun. “Jinki-ah, you stay here until his boyfriend arrives. After that, you better check on Dr. Lee regarding the last victim of the Heartbreaker. We still haven't received the autopsy report.”

“Will do, hyung. I'll go there as soon as Kyuhyun-hyung isn't alone,” Jinki promised, adding in a salute similar to what Jonghyun had done before. 

Giving his regards to the two, Sungmin led the way out of the hospital room while muttering words relating to exhaustion and stress.

“He's going to be cranky in the morning,” Kyuhyun stated once they could no longer hear Sungmin's voice. “Good luck with that.”

Jinki blinked once, evidently confused. “Why me?”

“Because I'll most likely be reduced to a desk job for awhile, while you and Jjong deal with him out in the field.”

Upon realization, Jinki slumped against the bed and let out a deep groan.  
\- - -

“Two chickens in one night. How do you do it?”

Donghae smirked in reaction while opening the boxes of food in front of his boyfriend. As agreed, though not verbally, whenever they talked about the older man's job outside their home, they would talk in code as much as they could. It usually ranged from a variety of food to sexual innuendos, which was, more of than not, completely idiotic. 

"You're talking as if I wouldn't be able to handle such a thing, Hyunnie," Donghae said, giving his boyfriend a playful pout. "Two chickens aren't that hard."

"As long as you didn't hurt yourself."

"Since when have I ever?" Donghae wondered, handing the younger a pair of chopsticks before making himself comfortable at the foot of the bed. "How're the stitches?"

Almost immediately, Kyuhyun grimaced. "I absolutely hate them. I want to get out of here."

"It's just one day, Kyu. It won't kill you."

Pouting in response, the detective said nothing as he began to dig into his food. With currently being forced to rest while his cut healed, Kyuhyun was nervous with what would happen. If there were any evidences Donghae had left behind again, there was sure to be trouble and his affiliation with the older man might be discovered. 

His worried thinking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the TV being turned on. Curious, he loooked up just in time to see the news flash regarding the death of Congressman Choi.

"That's such a painful way to go," Kyuhyun remarked when he saw the security camera footage of Siwon's body falling out of the window. 

Donghae hummed, feeding him a piece of vegetable. "Whover or whatever pushed him out that window had enough force to push him back."

"Shame to see such a young man go," the younger mumbled. "But now this means more paperwork."

"Paperwork isn't that bad."

"I'd rather be out on the field."

Donghae sent him a playful wink. "At least this means that I get to bother you more at work now." He suddenly yelped when Kyuhyun kicked him hard. “Okay, okay, no bothering at work...too much.” Mumbling to himself, he continued to eagerly feed the younger man. “But even if I do drop in from time to time, your fellow officers would understand considering your current state. I am your boyfriend, after all.”

“With so many things that already happened to me before, why would you even start getting worried about my condition now? It's just a cut.”

The truth of the matter was that both Donghae and Kyuhyun were already past being terribly worried about each other's well-being when it came to their line of work. As morbid as it may seem, they were already used to the fact that danger was their companion in both their fields. It was a transition of sorts before they could fully adjust to the idea of just not being too emotionally invested in worrying anymore, as there was really no point in it when they were a detective and a killer. For every news of a new wound, there was the relief in them that, at least, it was just a wound.

“Do you have another bird to catch?” Donghae heard the younger man ask him all of a sudden. “Anytime soon, perhaps?”

With a bright smile on his lips, Donghae shook his head. “I got a new offer, but I decided to turn it down. The price wasn't my liking.”

Kyuhyun blinked a couple of times. “Really?”

The older man laughed at the questioning look on his boyfriend's face. “Actually, I declined it because the activity in my stomach might be a cause for a check-up. I've had five chickens this month, and they were all huge. I don't want any doctor to poke around in here.”

“I'm glad you know how to look after your health,” Kyuhyun mumbled quietly, his gaze settling back on the food in front of him. “Dr. Lee's really impressed with how the chickens were cooked, though. Then again, that man's quite eccentric. Last time I visited him, he was having a sandwich next to a raw chicken he had just cut open to season.”

"Is the man mentally unstable?" Donghae couldn't help but ask, though it was evident he sounded very amused. 

"Maybe," Kyuhyun answered, nibbling on a piece of pork. "He is rather peculiar in that regard, but he does have his uses. He rather likes the chickens — that says enough about him."

"How very amusing," the older commented. "I'm sure he'll be disappointed when there aren't anymore chickens for him to look at...for awhile."

Kyuhyun simply smiled.   
\- - -

Donghae tapped his fingers against the hood of his car as he waited for Kyuhyun to come out of the hospital. As agreed, the younger would only be held in the hospital for one night as he absolutely despised hospitals with a passion. He himself didn't bother to argue and simply acquiesced as it was the only compromise he was able to get out of the stubborn detective. 

They were supposed to leave much earlier, but Kyuhyun's unit had arrived and it delayed their departure, much to Donghae's annoyance.

"Oh, Donghae-ssi!" Jinki greeted, waving happily to the older man. 

Looking ahead, Donghae nearly smiled at how childish the assistant inspector looked. "Hello," he greeted back politely. "Are you done taking my boyfriend's time away from me?"

Sungmin snorted and smirked. "Aww, can't bear to be away from him for so long, can you? I wonder how you handle him being out on such long nights."

“Oh, you don't want to know.” Donghae grinned widely, the brightness in his expression only noticeable to his boyfriend. “But is everything okay now? We're good to go? Kyuhyun has to rest, too, you know.”

“We know that, of course. But it's your boyfriend who insisted on talking about the two cases,” Jonghyun said, his tone making his statement sound like a complaint. “Now, I have to get back to Dr. Lee.”

“What's so bad about that?”

The younger man blinked slowly, his mouth forming into a frown. “That pathologist likes visual aids. I'll just leave it at that.”

Donghae's face crinkled in disgust, which made Sungmin and Jinki laugh. Despite the many dead bodies he had seen throughout the years, just the thought of what the medical examiner did for a living was enough to make him want to puke out everything from inside of him just so no one could inspect it in the event of his death. Just imagining someone poking around his inside with a scalpel made him shiver, seeing it would probably scare him to hell and back.

“Anyway,” Kyuhyun spoke up, moving towards the passenger side of the car. “Remember to report to as soon as you've gathered enough information about the cases. I want immediate responses, not delayed transmission. The Chief will have our heads if we don't have anything decent to say to him.”

“We know, we know. You don't need to worry about what we do. Just go on your merry way and fix that wound you got there, so you can come back to the station and boss us around on the regular around,” Sungmin teased, grinning when he heard muffled chuckles from behind him.

Choosing not to respond, Kyuhyun simply turned around and got inside the car, ignoring the waves that his team was giving him. He looked down immediately at the folders in his hands, checking each label written in front. Out of the three folders, the contents of two worried him the most, which added to his worry about leaving the investigation to his team without him supervising them in person.

“Problem?”

It was only when his boyfriend broke the silence did Kyuhyun realize that they had already left the hospital. His gaze shifted towards the window for a moment when the car sped past a tall commercial building whose revolving doors were surrounded by numerous reporters demanding to get in. The sight of them made him breathe out heavily while he leaned back against his seat.

“Your last victim was not only a politician, but a politician supposedly in the running as the next possible presidential candidate, which makes his case a very, very high profile one. He's the face of the new breed of young politicians, and his death is a big blow to a lot of people,” Kyuhyun related in a strained voice. “But what worries me is the victim prior to him.”

“What about that?” Donghae asked in a nonchalant manner. 

The detective pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed out heavily. “The person Choi Siwon hired you to kill was his secret lover.”

Donghae nearly stepped on the breaks a little too hard due to shock.

“And there may be – no, there are interesting evidence to prove that. Physical evidence. Files...actually, videos...not suitable for all audiences.”

Making a sound, Donghae shifted his gaze back to the road. "No wonder why it seemed kind of sketchy to me."

"You didn't question it?"

"I don't particularly like to poke my nose into my clients' private lives, Hyun. They give me a job and I carry it out. Any reason why is lost to me since I'm not being paid to be nosy," Donghae pointed out.

Kyuhyun closed the folder as he sighed out heavily. "Are we really going home?" 

His lover chuckled, reaching over to grab Kyuhyun's hand. "I wish we can, but I need to visit a place first and then we can go to that Japanese restaurant that you like so much to order take out."

The younger man made a face. "It doesn't have anything to do with a job, does it?"

"I would never endanger you with a job, Kyuhyun."

Pursing his lips, Kyuhyun could only nod, knowing Donghae would never put his life on the line so recklessly. They were already on thin ice as their relationship proved to be detrimental to the two of them. 

Even if they never really saw it that way. 

"Our anniversary is coming up," Donghae said after a moment of silence. "I was thinking we can go out of town or country."

Kyuhyun smiled slightly. "You forget that I'm still working. I can't exactly go on vacation."

"Just say the word and I'll take care of the Chief for you."

Shaking his head, Kyuhyun pinched the skin on the back of Donghae's hand. "No," he scolded. "Besides, you won't get paid for this job. I can't afford your services"

Donghae pouted. "Doesn't mean I won't help you handle your boss," he mumbled childishly. "Besides, you're technically on sick leave since you can't work right now with that injury. We can use the time to go to London."

"What is with you and your fascination with London?"

“I just think it's a really nice place to be in. It seems like such a tourist place. Perfect for those who want to just plunge themselves into people-watching and food,” Donghae defended. “And perfect for couples – or so I read in books and the Internet.”

Kyuhyun didn't know if he wanted to frown or smile when he heard the last part of his boyfriend's explanation. He had always known how much Donghae loved the thought of traveling around to discover different cultures and places, which had always been so admirable to him who could not care less about moving around that much. But what really got to Kyuhyun was how the older man always tried to make him feel like they were really a couple to the point that it almost seemed like one of his goals in life.

It was no secret to Donghae that Kyuhyun wasn't entirely into the whole relationship like he was. Though the detective never really did anything to make their relationship or him feel any less important, there was still an obvious wall between them that separated them from being considered as two people in a serious relationship together. At first, Donghae had thought it was because of how contrasting their jobs were, but it came to light earlier on that it was never that. Kyuhyun just didn't know how to fully commit. He wasn't afraid of a relationship; he was just uncertain of what he really felt for his boyfriend.

Donghae's a beautiful man both inside and out. Setting aside his chosen profession – as he'd labeled it to be – there was nothing that Kyuhyun could really point out as wrong with him. He was the perfect package as a dashing young man with a boyish grin and an appeal that could make heads turn. Add to that his unbelievable thoughtfulness and bright outlook towards life. He may not have all the riches in the world, but he was the real deal, which had always made Kyuhyun wonder why it just never got to him.

It was so easy to just fall for Donghae, but Kyuhyun still hasn't.

“Alright, fine, but we can't stay there for too long,” Kyuhyun mumbled, turning his gaze towards the front. “And we're not going to do anything weird like buy hates with the Union Jack printed on it or go to Harry Potter land.”

The older man smiled widely and nodded happily, looking very excited all of a sudden. “We won't. I promise you that. So I can check for tickets later then?”

Answering him with a short hum, Kyuhyun focused on ahead when they neared what seemed to be a traffic jam. But upon closer look, it became obvious to him that the traffic jam was a result of something worse than rush hour. He immediately told Donghae to stop the car when he got a good enough look at the hostage situation.

“Just stay in here,” Kyuhyun said, reaching towards his holster where his gun was concealed under his jacket. 

“You're not seriously–” Donghae's sentence was cut off when a single shot was made, hitting the car right in front of them. “Call for backup. You can't do this alone. You're still injured.”

“A man's got to do his job even if he has to lose a limb or two. That's why I'm a detective,” Kyuhyun muttered, unlocking his car door. “If you're so worried, call Sungmin. Here.”

Before Donghae could even attempt to argue, Kyuhyun was already out of the car. He cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair while he considered the limited options he had. In a worse case scenario, he could always help his boyfriend in a subtle manner, even if the younger man might not fully approve of it given the way Donghae tended to 'take care' of his victims.

But as a civilian, he really didn't have much choice.

Frowning, Donghae hastily dialed Sungmin's number, giving the older man no chance to say even a short greeting before blurting out the situation. Receiving his assurance that back up would arrive soon, he ended the call and told himself to calm down, only to jolt in surprise when more gunshots were fired, followed by people's ear-shattering screams from the side. He gripped the steering wheel tightly in his hands, nervously watching it all from his place before finally seeing some progress when back up arrived. A sigh escaped from him at the sight, feeling relief flood through his body until his eyes picked up an image of someone from the corner of a nearby building.

A frown gradually marred his face.  
\- - -


	3. Chapter 3

Kyuhyun heaved out a sigh, finally feeling relaxed when he and Donghae made it back to their apartment. After the robbery situation which was handled quickly by the back up that followed (much thanks to Donghae's call) shortly after he had entered the scene, all he wanted to do was to lie down and not move an inch. Aggravating his still-fresh wound was a mistake he later regretted making when he began to feel the sting from every move he made on the drive back home.

"What do you want to eat for lunch?" he heard Donghae ask.

“Not chicken,” Kyuhyun groaned out, holding on to his bandaged wound as he made his way inside the bedroom. “And nothing savory.”

“That's very specific. Alright, then, I'm sure we have pork in here. How about hot pot instead?” Donghae suggested, popping his head inside the room. A frown immediately found its way on his lips when he saw his boyfriend struggling to even sit down on the bed. He walked inside and held him by the arm, carefully assisting him to sit on a comfortable position. “Perfect for the fall weather, don't you think?”

“That's fine with me. Do whatever you want,” the younger man mumbled, grabbing one of Donghae's pillows from the side. “Can you hand me my laptop?”

Donghae made a face and shook his head. “No. No working while at home. You need to rest.”

“But–”

“We already agreed on this since the very beginning, Kyu. You can not work in our home while you're injured; you will just focus on getting better,” Donghae firmly stated. “To be sure of that, I will hide your laptop from you because the last time you needed bed rest, I found you having a Skype meeting with your team. That's not going to happen anymore, especially now when I have free time to look after you.”

Kyuhyun all but pouted, his arms crossing over his chest. Uncertainty appeared on his eyes as he shifted his gaze towards his boyfriend who had walked to the other side of the room where the work desk was located. “Are you...really not going to accept a client for awhile?”

The older man froze in his steps bu it was only for a brief second as he resumed walking to the other side in order to get the laptop. "Nope. Did you want me to?"

"That's not something you should be asking the detective in charge of your case or just...any detective...” Kyuhyun looked on in silence when the older man's lips formed into a smirk. “But won't people find it...odd that the Heartbreaker stops appearing just as the detective on the case is currently out of commission?"

Chuckling, Donghae looked back over at the younger man, a smile on his lips. It was the same as his other smiles, but Kyuhyun was easily able to detect the meaning of that particular one.

It was a smile that promised nothing good.

“I'm a hired killer not a serial killer. I'm supposed to disappear for awhile.” Donghae paused for a moment as he looked thoughtfully at one side of the room. “Then again, obviously, I have made a name for myself and now people know that I am an in-demand hired help. It would make sense for me to be active.” Nodding to himself, he shifted his gaze back to his boyfriend. "So you want me to accept a client while you're in bed?" 

Kyuhyun eyed the older man for a moment, an unreadable emotion on his face. While he and Donghae had been together for a while now - a few years actually - there were always times when they took careful steps around the other. It wasn't meant to be a show of distrust, just a precaution as they were lines they drew that they'd rather not be crossed. 

"It's up to you. I'm just pointing out a fact. It'd be odd."

"Well, I might think about it," the older man hummed out, glancing at the clock. "I have a few requests waiting for me, so I might find something that'll pique my interests. Now, do you want me to turn on the TV for you? I think there's a new historical drama playing that you might be interested in."

“No, I'm not really in the mood to watch anything right now. I think I'll just read the book I've been intending to finish.” Reaching out to his bedside table, Kyuhyun pulled open the top drawer and took out his book from inside. A slight frown appeared on his lips when he noticed the marks on the spine, indicating how worn down that it had gotten due to his constant need to leave it open while facing down. “It's only right that I finish it, especially with how it looks like right now.”

Donghae chuckled at the sight of the book. “You have been neglecting your reading because of so much paperwork. That book's been sitting inside your drawer for a year. I think the author already has a new one out.”

“I know, I know. I'll get to it. This will help my brain work without actually doing my work.”

True to his sworn profession, Kyuhyun's passion for being in the police force extended to his personal life away from it. His fascination with mystery and detective novels was evident in how many books were in his collection. With a whole shelf just dedicated to his books, it felt almost too stereotypical to be real. A detective who held a special spot for mystery novels was certainly quite unremarkable.

Deciding to leave the younger man with his reading material, Donghae left the room to hide the laptop and proceed with lunch preparations. While they both had decent skills when it came to cooking, it was him who used the kitchen more as Kyuhyun preferred to have takeout or delivered food due to the workload of his job; there was simply no time for him to spend it cooking. It had never been a bother for Donghae to be the designated cook. His joy came from seeing his boyfriend enjoy the home-cooked meals and actually eat something healthier than greasy fast food. He cared about Kyuhyun that much.

Almost selfless, almost unfair.

His lips twitched slightly – not quite a smile, but not a frown either. 

The core nature of their relationship would be considered odd by most people, not that Donghae would or could blame any of them. From the very beginning, Kyuhyun had become somewhat of an enigma to him, even more so when the younger never bothered to turn him in or even used his knowledge to dangle him for his own benefit. Those reasons alone made it only reasonable for the him to spoil Kyuhyun as much as he could before the younger man would finally come to his senses and realize just how troubling their relationship truly is.

Until that moment arrives, Donghae was going to live his life as a loyal and doting boyfriend – the mask of a professional killer.  
\- - -

"We've just received this breaking news: another victim of the Heartbreaker has been discovered earlier this morning..."

Kyuhyun's gaze trailed away from the TV in order to look at his boyfriend, who was humming away happily as he went around the kitchen. When he had asked Donghae regarding his decision to halt his Heartbreaker activities, he hadn't expected the older man to give him an answer in such a way that would leave him speechless. It pained him to know another man was dead, but the selfish feeling of relief brought about by Donghae's continued freedom overpowered any remorse he could muster up inside of him.

He wouldn't know how to deal with everything if Donghae was ever discovered to be the Heartbreaker.

And he couldn't even begin to imagine it.

"Why are you looking so gloomy?" Donghae questioned, tilting his head to the side. "Oh, you got a call from Sungmin-ssi, by the way."

“Oh? When did he call?” Kyuhyun blinked, his wide eyes looking at his boyfriend in wonder. 

“Before I left to do that,” the older man replied with a big smile on his lips. “He said that they're going to have a meeting with the pathologist about the recent victims since the Chief wants an update. Choi Siwon's family apparently wants to keep a close eye on the investigation, which puts–”

“A whole lot of pressure on our team,” Kyuhyun breathed out, holding back his groan by merely pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a simple way to keep himself from stressing out about his current situation. “This was really the worst time to be away from work.”

Donghae remained quiet and continued on with his work inside the kitchen. With so many things that happened in just the past few days, it was definitely not the appropriate time for the detective in charge of the case of the Heartbreaker to be on a sick leave, but it just couldn't be helped. At the very least, with him being the very suspect they were focusing on, there would be an assurance for Kyuhyun that he still had control of the whole investigation. And Donghae made sure that he was still working with his full skills of not leaving any trace behind.

Not a single thing that would get him caught.

“That would be my last until you're fully recovered,” Donghae said, placing their meal on the dining table. “I want to be home to take care of you, so don't worry about the case anymore. The Heartbreaker will be on an indefinite leave of absence.”

"That's a weird line I never thought I'd hear anyone say."

Donghae laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "At least you'll earned a long and deserving break," the older mean teased. "Now, eat and forget about that news. This is such a depressing talk to have around the table."

Eating together had always been a quiet affair between them, which neither one paid any mind. It was a time wherein silence reigned supreme, a luxury of sorts for two busy people like them who had worries far beyond anyone could believe. Though their minds never stopped working, at the very least, their mouths took rests for the time being while they sorted through their thoughts.

"You didn't divert my calls to yours again, did you?" Kyuhyun couldn't help but ask once he was done with his meal. Slight pout formed on his lips when Donghae answered him with a mere chuckle, evidently indifferent about the accusation in his boyfriend's tone. "Yah, I told you to stop doing that."

Donghae regarded the younger man with unabashed amusement on his face. "I had to. If you answered any calls during your bed rest, you'll just wear yourself out again. I don't want anything that will make you lose rest in our home."

Kyuhyun sighed heavily and moved to finish his soup, earning a laugh from his boyfriend. The last time he was put on bed rest, the need to work was so strong that it had caused him to stay out of commission longer than necessary. It had successfully earned him the wrath of a very concerned Donghae, who decided to finally put his foot down and redirect all of his calls and messages to his own number instead. 

The older man cared a lot about his well-being and simply wanted him to get better — not work himself to death. 

"Who exactly was this target of yours this time?"

Donghae paused, blinking once before resuming eating. "Some guy, another business tycoon. His name was Jiyong, I think."

The younger man stared at Donghae in surprise. "What?"

"What?" The older man's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's with that look?"

"That's the guy who's supposedly a shoe in to becoming president in the next election!"

“That's really unfortunate then,” Donghae casually remarked. “He didn't look like he was president material, though. He looked like he has someone else do his job for him.”

“So exactly like a president...” Kyuhyun mumbled, making the older man laugh. Ignoring it, he made a face as he took in a spoonful of soup. “That's a big target – bigger than Choi Siwon. Who would want him dead?”

Just like with any other client, Donghae simply shrugged the question off as if it was not important to him, which it really wasn't. As a hired killer, the identity and motive of his employers never mattered to him, only the payment he'd receive from them. It was a big risk to not delve into the identities of the people who had requested his services, but there was a certain faith in him that he was not in any danger of being sacrificed as a scapegoat if ever any of them got caught. He had an ace, and his clients knew that. They just didn't know what kind of ace he had.

The meal went by without any more talk about Donghae's latest victim or any other cases. Eventually, Kyuhyun had to be helped back inside the bedroom for his bed rest, to which he had begrudgingly agreed. After so many attempts to sneak in a work or two in the past three days he was home, he had finally learned to just listen to his boyfriend's words to rest when the older man made the irritated face that he rarely ever used. It was a face that had been given to only a handful of people: their landlord, their annoying neighbor downstairs, and some others Kyuhyun already forgot. He was the newest addition in the list, and he was not planning on staying in it for too long.

An annoyed Donghae was harder to crack than an angry Donghae.

“These pillows are too soft. Where'd you get these?” Kyuhyun asked, patting another one of his new pillows. “I feel as if they're going to swallow me every time I lean back.”

“I got them for Christmas last year, but you refused to change our pillows because you said they're all evenly proportioned with the size of our bed. Don't complain about those. You need the soft cushioning now more than ever,” Donghae told him off, taking the pillow and putting it back behind the younger man. “Did you finish your book?”

Kyuhyun nodded and made a face. “It wasn't as good as the last one I read a year ago.”

“Some books are like that. But here, I got you a new one.” Handing the book to the detective, Donghae smiled softly when he saw the hint of sparkle in his eyes when he accepted the object. It was a child-like gaze that would only appear on Kyuhyun's face whenever he was genuinely excited. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Thank you!” Kyuhyun practically exclaimed, staring down at the cover of the book with much interest.

Seeing the innocent happiness that painted his boyfriend's face helped Donghae's smile to widen as he stared at him in silence. The image of the tough detective was no longer there, but it was replaced with a version that was equally perfect in his eyes. Before he could even stop himself, he had already leaned forward and pressed his lips against the younger's, his eyes closing shut.

Perhaps it was love, perhaps it was just genuine care; Donghae leaned towards the former more, and he had showed it more often than not. Whatever it was, it had already become the pillar that held his relationship with Kyuhyun together. It was a strong pillar that somehow blinded him into staying with the detective in a relationship that made him appear like a fool – a fool who had no complaints with appearing like one.

Kyuhyun's importance to him was undeniable.

If it's because of love was something still left to be answered.

"What was that about?" Kyuhyun asked when the older man broke their tender kiss. 

Donghae flashed him a smile. "Just a whim, you could say. Now, you can get to reading while I clean up around the house. It's starting to look like a pigsty in here."

Though making a face, the detective silently nodded, and watched his boyfriend leave the room soon after. A thoughtful expression painted his face as he stared at the open door of their bedroom. Absentmindedly, he reached up and lightly touched his lips.

He and Donghae had known each other for so many year and had been living together as couple almost as long. It was strange, mysterious, and questionable, but it never felt thoroughly weird. At least to him, the set up had always been a welcomed comfort despite how wrong in every sense of the imagination it is.

Kyuhyun wasn't stupid; he knew that Donghae was treading very carefully around him, almost as if once he stepped over that line, he would turn him in as easily as he could drop a mail in a postbox. For a brief moment, the idea popped in his head, but quickly disappeared and replaced with the image of the kiss they just shared. 

He couldn't lose Donghae. 

He couldn't afford to. 

And it was for more reasons than just what he wanted to acknowledge.

"Kyu, you got visitors!"

A look of surprise quickly painted Kyuhyun's face when he heard what Donghae had said. Lifting his head, his eyes trailed towards the bedroom door once he heard footsteps nearby. When he saw the head that popped right in, his expression immediately changed.

“What are you doing here?” Kyuhyun questioned before the three guests filed inside the room one-by-one. “Oh, great, my whole team is here when they should be working on the cases I left on their capable hands.”

“Relax, will you? We came here to check up on you as your friends,” Sungmin told him off. “And to run some things by you as your subordinates.”

It was very much like his team to actually go to him every time there was a case he couldn't quite fully focus on, much like how his sick leave rendered him unable to participate with the investigation of the recent murders. They already knew their leader and how his workaholic nature was, above all else, the one thing that kept their department going. Without his drive to reach his goal, the entire unit of the homicide division would still be under hot water after what happened years back with a police officer. Kyuhyun nearly cleaned up everything when he rose to his rank as a detective and proved the competence of their unit again.

“We also brought muffins,” Jinki announced happily. “There was a two-for-one deal in the bakeshop.”

Kyuhyun nearly rolled his eyes. “Thank you for remembering me.”

“Don't be like that, hyung! You know we care,” Jonghyun retorted. 

Snorting, Kyuhyun's eyes traveled back to Sungmin who seemed to be observing the whole room with much curiosity. For a moment, panic struck him at the thought that there was something that caught his subordinate's eye that could lead to Donghae being suspected. It was a possibility that he couldn't dismiss so easily, until his boyfriend appeared by the door.

“I brought you guys some drinks. Sorry we just finished dinner, so there's nothing I could serve you. We don't eat sweets in this household.” Donghae placed the tray of drinks on the desk and turned towards the guests with his natural smile. “Would you be staying here long?”

“Kicking us out already? We just got here!” Jonghyun joked. 

“It's not that. Kyuhyun was just about to get some rest,” Donghae reasoned before his gaze shifted towards Sungmin. “Is there something that interests you, Inspector Lee?”

Sungmin abruptly turned towards Donghae and blinked twice before shaking his head. “I'm just looking around. This is the first time we've been in your place, so I'm curious about what it's like to be at home with uptight detective here.” A bright grin appeared on his face when Kyuhyun made a sound of protest. “I've seen some bedrooms, but never Kyuhyun's. I have to say...this room is really dull. I expected more colour since you seem like a lively person.”

At that, Donghae's expression changed to one of amusement. "What can I say? I love dull colors. Grey and beige are sometimes a whole lot better than bright and contrast colors. They won't physically assault your eyes every morning."

Kyuhyun eyed his boyfriend, almost willing him to shut up and disappear. 

Sungmin just laughed. "True enough. Sorry that we came at such a strange time. If we called ahead, our boss here would've preferred to settle everything over the phone while we stayed stuck in the precinct, and these two here wanted to see how he's been doing."

Donghae chuckled, shaking his head. "It's no problem at all. I'll let you guys catch up then, and do your stuff. Baby, just holler if you need me."

Kyuhyun meekly nodded, immediately sensing the undertone of annoyance in Donghae's words. It was not to say that his boyfriend did not like his friends. But it was definitely not the proper time for him to evaluate what he felt about them – not while he was supposed to be resting.

"So, your boyfriend seems like he's taking good care of you," Sungmin commented once Donghae left. "That's good. At least you're in capable hands."

Kyuhyun made a face. "Enough talk about my personal life. What happened in the office?"

"Chaos!" Jinki squeaked. "The boss is on our asses again just because we're not any step closer in getting the Heartbreaker!"

"He said that we're slacking," Jonghyun added in, sounding annoyed. "I'd like to see him do any better."

Sungmin breathed out, nodding when Kyuhyun glanced over at him. "That's why we're here. If any of us want to be able to get any sort of a vacation, we need to solve this as soon as possible. The case with Choi Siwon and Jiyong just added in more pressure for us."

“It's so scary not having you around there to defend us!” Jinki cried out. “The Chief turns into a monster!”

“And that pathologist didn't help at all. I swear, he got weirder since the last time we talked,” Jonghyun mumbled before his expression changed. “Oh, right, he did find something odd about the Choi murder, though. Something about it being a close-ranged shot.”

Kyuhyun's forehead creased. “What?” 

Jinki stepped forward and handed the detective the folder he had been carrying the whole time. “His report says that the wound where the bullet entered through Choi Siwon's chest was different from the other victims of the Heartbreaker; it seemed that the only way it could have looked that way was that the gun had been pretty close to him, which kind of puts a new spin on things.”

“You mean..?”

“It means that we're wondering if Choi Siwon saw the Heartbreaker close enough, which moves us to speculating whether he was somehow involved with the Heartbreaker in a sense that he knew who he was and was talking to him before he got shot. Because clearly, if someone you didn't know were to get that close to you – even for just a moment – you would not be quiet about, especially when you have a whole squad of cops protecting you right outside,” Sungmin explained quietly. “This is the first time we've ever gotten such a clue. We've always estimated that the Heartbreaker was at least ten, twenty feet away when he shoots. But this time it seemed as if he was no more than five feet away from his victim.”

Forcing himself to remain quiet and calm, Kyuhyun opted to look over the file that his friends had brought over for him. It was against the rules for anyone to take out official case reports out of the precinct unless it was to be used for a hearing, which clearly meant that his team had broken an age-old rule just to show him the new development about the case. That fact alone was enough for Kyuhyun to worry about what they could've found out or what they could still find out while he's gone. The whole situation placed him and Donghae at an even bigger risk of getting exposed.

“Anything else you got?” Kyuhyun wondered aloud, knowing that his boyfriend was somehow eavesdropping from outside the room. “Have you followed up on this yet?” When the three all refused to meet his gaze, he let out a deep sigh of relief, which he masked well enough to seem like it was out of exasperation. “Well, we can't find anything with just this. If, perhaps, Choi Siwon knew him in some way, we have to start from the crime scene itself. Get a warrant to be able to search his private files. Maybe you'll find something from there.”

“What would happen if we find out that they knew each other?” Jonghyun curiously asked. “Would that put Choi Siwon in an unfortunate situation?”

“You can't prosecute the dead, but you can destroy his legacy. That's all the damage it will do. But that's neither here nor there. What's important is finding out if he does know something about the Heartbreaker.” Closing the folder, Kyuhyun let out a deep sigh. “First thing tomorrow, get a warrant and learn everything you can about Choi Siwon's activities.”

All three nodded in understanding, each of them sporting determined looks in their faces.

But Kyuhyun could only hope that there was nothing there to be traced back to his boyfriend.  
\- - -

“Okay, then, let me know if anything else comes up. Thanks, Inspector Lee.” 

Ending the call, Kyuhyun sighed heavily and placed the device on his bedside table. The stress in his face was clear, but it spoke nothing of how he was really feeling in that moment. Even with the good news he had received, there was still no saying would could go down while he was not with his team to monitor the investigation. There was simply no time for him to feel relieved. 

“I told you, baby, I didn't leave any trace whatsoever,” Donghae spoke up from where he sat by the desk, playing solitaire on his laptop. “I doubt Choi Siwon would be dumb enough to.”

“But what if he is that dumb?”

"If he was that stupid, then I wonder how he was even planning on running to be mayor," Donghae commented dryly. He made an unusual sound, earning the attention of his boyfriend. 

Kyuhyun looked at him, a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "What is it?"

Clicking his tongue, the older shook his head. "Nothing, just let me handle this. While you work on making sure that your gang doesn't discover anything else, I'll need to contact someone to thoroughly erase Choi Siwon's files."

"So you think he really is that dumb."

"I'm thinking that if there was a chance of me going against him, he'd use any information he could get to expose me," the older man corrected, sounding irritated. "This is why I hate such big targets. They're a pain in the ass once their family tries to come snooping around."

Kyuhyun groaned at the information, rubbing his face furiously. He knew that Donghae was careful – he always had been – but there could never be an assurance that his clients were just the same. As a detective, he had been sure to thoroughly search their personal belongings for anything that could relate back to the Heartbreaker. 

So far, there was nothing. 

"Who are you going to call to help you?"

Donghae hummed in response, not saying anything. 

The younger sighed out but a curious look appeared on his face when the older man stood up. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go buy groceries for tonight's dinner," Donghae told him. "While you behave and relax. Don't stress yourself out over this while you're on sick leave."

"But—"

Kyuhyun froze when Donghae gave him that smile.

It wasn't exactly a smile that instilled fear, but it was a certainly a smile that meant business more than just a physical expression of glee. Donghae was not, in any way, trying to scare him; it was a mere silent request of sorts to just play nice. That was his own way of avoiding any unnecessary verbal argument between the two of them – plain and simple.

“Okay, then, I'll be going to the store, and you'll be here alone for the meantime.” Donghae moved on to his side of the bed as if nothing had happened. He grabbed his wallet and car keys from the bedside tablet before walking around to Kyuhyun's side. “I won't be long, so don't worry, okay? Just stay put and don't move around too much.”

Donghae leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on the younger man forehead. Flashing him a kind smile, he stepped back and turned away, only to stop when he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked back at his boyfriend, blinking curiously when he saw his hand holding the hem of shirt and tugging it a few times.

“Kyu?”

“Don't leave,” Kyuhyun quietly said, his tone making his words sound like a whine. “I don't want to be left alone here.” Shifting his gaze up, he stared at his boyfriend's face with his big eyes standing out well. “I don't want to leave you alone out there.”

As apathetic as he could be by default, Kyuhyun did really care about Donghae – perhaps even as much as the older man did. He might not find their relationship to be something out of genuine romantic love, but he still acknowledged it as a real one. There was undeniable care and affection between them that no words were needed to be described.

In their current situation, all they ever really had was each other. 

They were the perfect couple, the excellent partners in crime when it came down to it. 

But none of that really defined how much Kyuhyun cared for the older man. He wasn't quite sure where he stood in their relationship, but he did know that at the base of it all, he needed Donghae in his life, one way or the other. The older man had become such a fixture in his world that the detective didn't know what he would do if and when everything was to come crashing down. 

Donghae smiled again, softer and more genuine. Leaning down, he pressed another kiss against his boyfriend's forehead. "What about dinner then?"

"We'll order take out. Just don't leave."

The older man nodded instantly, running a hand through Kyuhyun's hair once the younger's body relaxed. 

It wasn't often Kyuhyun made such requests, but when he did, it often meant that he was greatly worried about Donghae and the chances of him getting caught. It warmed his heart greatly, not that he'd show it. Even though his boyfriend never said those three words to him (yet), despite the years they've been together, he received assurances through the subtle gestures Kyuhyun made. 

"Alright," Donghae verbally agreed. "But I demand a movie date tonight, and absolutely no calls from work. Otherwise, I'll make sure to confiscate everything."

Making a face, Kyuhyun could only nod. He smiled slightly when his boyfriend kissed his cheek. "What movies did you have in mind?"

The older man grinned. “Lots of cheesy films.”

“No!”

Donghae immediately laughed out loud, clearly amused at his boyfriend's reaction. “That's your punishment for stealing your cellphone back when I was cooking. You will sit through three whole romantic comedy movies with me.”

Kyuhyun let out a long whine, his agony showing in his face. It was evident that Donghae knew him so well to know what his weaknesses are, which included suffering through bad movies about cheesy, unrealistic love stories. They were absolutely horrifying for him to even think of sitting through, hence it was the perfect punishment – as Donghae had put it.

“You're awful,” Kyuhyun mumbled, still whining as he hid his face against the older man's shoulder. “Can't we make a compromise? I did need my phone for something important. I was doing it for you!”

“And I appreciate your concern, baby, but we had an agreement about your recovering, and didn't keep your promise.” Donghae jokingly patted the younger's head. “It'll be okay. I promise that the movies won't be two hours long.”

“Three movies!”

Holding back his laughter, Donghae engulfed his boyfriend in a loose hug, making sure that he was not aggravating his wound in any way. It was the kind of hug that held warmth and care, which he always felt the need to show to the younger man every time they're together. All that he could possibly give Kyuhyun, he was willing to; for whatever reason it could be, he dared not ask anymore. He already knew the answer for so many years and counting.

And he knew Kyuhyun also did.

“Do you still want to go to London with me?” Donghae heard himself ask without giving it prior thought.

Kyuhyun froze briefly. "I...I'm not sure.."

Humming, Donghae only nodded in understanding. He knew it wasn't due to anything he had done in particular, but more because Kyuhyun wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. It irritated him, though he knew he would never force Kyuhyun to be away from work for that long. All he could really do was be understanding and be patient.

"I'll go get the movies and start the popcorn, then. It'll be a fun movie night."

He laughed when Kyuhyun whined again as he walked out of the room.  
\- - -


End file.
